Learning How To LeaveBy PaBurkeSummary: A post-vignette of Learning How To Fly, from Lorne’s POV. At least PG-13. Season 3 spoilers.Disclaimer: These characters so don’t belong to me. They don’t do what I want them to do, even when I’m writing them.Word Count: 1000+

*

Considering that Winchester had been a pain in the ass since he had been brought to everybody’s attention, Lorne was not surprised that the Marine could not go on leave without causing a ruckus.

All Winchester had to do was step into a puddlejumper that someone else was flying and sit while the puddlejumper flew them to the mid-way station. Winchester had to sit tight on the mid-way station for a day and then get into another jumper and let someone else fly him to Earth.

It should have been simple.

Instead of following such a simple scenario, Atlantis put up the shield around the stargate as soon as Winchester stepped into the jumper. Of course, no one had been paying that close attention to realize the cause and effect of the two events. The regular gate technicians couldn’t get it down, which meant that McKay had to be called. McKay called Sheppard. Sheppard ordered Lorne to come with. So Lorne stood around and watched as McKay fussed and insulted everyone. Sheppard had his head tilted in such a way that Lorne knew that his CO was listening to the city.

“Sir?”

Sheppard shook his head. “Something… shouldn’t leave.”

Lorne looked at the passengers in the jumper. Yes, there was some technology for the SGC to investigate aboard but Atlantis had never stopped anything else from leaving. “Everything out of the jumper, sir?”

Sheppard nodded.

Lorne ordered the Marines to comply. Once they had gathered up everything, or pushed it out of the jumper, they followed. As soon as everything was out, the ‘Gate shield dropped. Sheppard looked at McKay. “Did you do that?”

McKay was monitoring the Atlantis energy output as the jumper was re-packed. Finally all of the equipment had been stowed away and still no shield.

Sheppard frowned. “Marines, get in. One at a time.”

This time, since everyone was paying attention, it was pretty apparent that the shield activated as soon as Winchester stepped onto the puddlejumper. Sheppard glanced at Lorne. “He hasn’t ridden a jumper through the gate since the incident, has he?”

Lorne had to think through Winchester and Team’s recent off-world assignments. “Ridden? No. He’s only used the jumper on world. Drove 17 twice. Walked the rest of the time.”

Winchester rolled his eyes and obeyed, mostly. He stepped out of the jumper, and once again the ‘gate shield dropped. Winchester tossed all of his pockets’ contents to Pacosky in the jumper and none of it activated the shield. Lorne wasn’t the only one who was curious about the unlabeled cloth bags.

“Boots,” Sheppard reminded him. Considering that the man was going on leave, nothing extra should be in his boots, but this was Winchester they were talking about.

Marines had a way of saying ‘Yes, sir’ and making it sound more like McKay’s ‘You are just stupid!’ Winchester used that tone and then tossed his boots onto jumper. Finally, Winchester stripped out of his shirt and undershirt and threw them unto the jumper. Most Marines had skin art, but Lorne had never seen any with a pentagram encircled by stylized rays. Someone hummed stripper music. When Lorne turned to identify the culprit, Pacosky looked the most innocent.

Winchester was getting testy and trying not to. “Are you going to make me take everything off before we prove Sheppard’s theory?”

Then, to make matters worse, the puddlejumper bay doors overhead opened and a jumper hovered above. The bay doors closed up like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Who’s doing that?” MaKay sputtered. “Who’s the idiot that is messing around with a jumper now?”

Winchester looked resigned and a little frightened. “That’s Jumper 17.” No one other than Winchester –and Sheppard and Lorne concentrating hard- could get 17 to start up.

“Tell it to go back, Winchester,” Sheppard ordered. Lorne wondered if he was a little jealous. No jumper followed him around. McKay was definitely seething.

“I’m trying, sir.” Winchester closed his eyes and moved his lips. He peeked up at the jumper with one eye, sighed when he realized that nothing had happened and then sat down in the middle of the gateroom to try again. Finally, the jumper bay doors opened and Jumper 17 disappeared behind them.

It was only when Sheppard said, “it’s gone now,” that Winchester opened his eyes and breathed deep.

“Any ideas, doc?” Winchester asked. “I would really like to go on leave.”

“You could always take 17 to Earth.” In McKay’s mind, it would be getting rid of a troublesome Marine and puddlejumper in one wormhole jump.

Winchester shook his head. “That would be a very bad idea.”

“Agreed,” said Sheppard. If the jumper followed Winchester around now, in a safe place like Atlantis, how much worse would it get on Earth where if civilians saw it? There would be an uproar.

Lorne cleared his throat. Even he couldn’t believe that he was about to suggest this out loud. “Has either of you tried to tell the city that this is temporary, that Winchester is returning and he’s going somewhere safe?”

Sheppard smirked, McKay looked horrified at the proposed ‘voodoo’ and Winchester looked a little sick. “It’s an idea,” Sheppard said. He sat on the gateroom floor next to Winchester and waved to McKay and Lorne. “You two can reinforce the idea.”

“No,” McKay contended. “That’s unscientific and ridiculous.”

The military people did close their eyes and try to communicate with the city. Lorne finally got a feeling of reluctance, like a toddler finally obeying a parent and giving up a favorite toy. Then he opened his eyes. Sheppard was already on his feet and pushing Winchester toward the jumper. This time when Winchester stepped aboard, the stargate shield did not react.

“Dial the ‘gate, Rodney,” Sheppard ordered. “Get them out of here, before she changes her mind.”

McKay rolled his eyes but obeyed. Seconds later, the jumper ramp closed up and the group was on their way. Sheppard heaved a sigh of relief and he and Lorne headed back for the offices.

They had sat down before Lorne ventured a question. “Why doesn’t Atlantis protest your leaving?”

Sheppard almost blushed. “I tell her for weeks or days beforehand that I’m going. I also tell her that I’ll return if at all possible. She listens to me better than Winchester. When the Ancients kicked us out, I think Atlantis was overpowered by all of them. I got the feeling that the Ancients were miffed with our communication with the city.”

No brag, just facts. Lorne shook his head. Only in the City of the Ancients was this a legitimate conversation. “At least Winchester is gone for a while.”

“Agreed.”

*

Dean filled up the Impala’s oil and gas tanks. He double checked anything that could have gone wrong in storage. Then he took his favorite girl out for a spin. His car might not be able to fly (no true loss there) or fire drones, but she was home.